“A healthy mind has an easy breath.” — Author Unknown

We do it everyday so you think we’d be good at it.  No, there are actually better ways to breathe, than how we breathe by default. By default, we tend to breathe shallow and, according to research, that’s not as effective as deep diaphragmatic breathing.

I first heard about a better way to breathe from Tony Robbins.  He wanted to know why athletes have statistically lower cancer than the average American.  The conclusion was that athletes get more oxygen in their bloodstream and they stimulate the movement of lymph which stimulates their immune system to work at peak levels.

In the book, Unlimited Power : The New Science Of Personal Achievement , Tony Robbins writes about how improving our breathing can improve our immune system and overall health.

Benefits of Better Breathing
Back in the lab, Tony found the most effective way to breathe so you can emulate the effects.  Basically, it’s deep diaphragmatic breathing.  By breathing deeply and in a specific way, you pump your lymph nodes.  Your heart pumps your bloodstream, but deep breathing pumps your lymphs.  In terms of impact, if you measure your white blood cell count before, and then two weeks later after making this a habit, you should see a dramatic change.  I haven’t measured this, but I can’t see any downsides to attempting to breathe better, so in this case, I’ll just go with Tony’s findings.

How to Breathe the Most Effective Way to Cleanse Your System
Tony writes:

“Let me share with you the most effective way to breathe in order to cleans your system.  You should breathe in this ratio: inhale one count, hold four counts, exhale two counts.  If you inhaled for four seconds, you would hold for sixteen and exhale for eight.  Why exhale for twice as long as you inhale?  That’s when you eliminate toxins via your lymphatic system.  Why hold four times as long?  That’s how you can fully oxygenate the bllod and activate your lymphatic system.  When you breathe, you should start deep in your abdoment, like a vacuum cleanere that’s getting rid of all toxins in the blood stream.”

Tony recommends taking 10 deep breaths in this way, 3 times a day.  Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.  He says work up slowly, never strain, and always start your breaths from your abdomen.

There you have it.  A better way to breathe.  The potential upsides are amazing and the downside is three times a day you wasted five minutes trying to breathe well and be in the moment.  Hmmmm … not much of a downside.

Photo by lululemon athletica.

When it comes to sleep patterns, some people really are night owls or early birds. According to John Medina in the book, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School , 30 % of the population is an owl or a lark (an early bird in scientific literature.) The rest of us are called hummingbirds where some of us are more owlish and some are more larkish and some are in between. The general sleep pattern of a lark is they tend to get up before 6 a.m. (without an alarm), and want to go to bed around 9 p.m. Owls tend to wake up naturally closer to 10 a.m. and don’t want to go to bed before 3 a.m. In general, this means larks tend to get better sleep in our society, and owls build a sleep debt.   I think the key is to know yourself and find what works for you, but this is another lens for looking at your own sleep patterns over your life time.

Larks
Larks are the early birds that catch the worm.  Medina writes:

In general, larks report being most alert around noon and feel most productive at work a few hours before they eat lunch. They don’t need an alarm clock, because they invariably get up before the alarm rings — often before 6 a.m. Larks cheerfully report their favorite mealtime as breakfast and generally consume much less coffee than non-larks.  Getting increasingly drowsy in the early evenings, most larks to go be (or want to go to bed) around 9 p.m.

Owls
Owls are most productive at night, burning the midnight oil. Medina writes:

In general, owls report being most alert around 6 p.m., experiencing their most productive work times in the late evening. They rarely want to go to bed before 3 a.m. Owls invariably need an alarm clock to get them up in the morning, with extreme owls requiring multiple alarms to ensure arousal.  Indeed, if owls had their druthers, most would not wake up much before 10 a.m. Not surprisingly, late chronotypes report their favorite mealtime as dinner, and they would drink gallons of coffee all day long to prop themselves up at work.

You can Detect It in Early Childhood
Sleep patterns show up early.  Medina writes:

The behavior of larks and owls are very specific.  Researchers think these patterns are detectable in early childhood and burned into the genetic complexities of the brain that govern our sleep/wake-cycle.

Photo by merec0.

Sure you know Bruce Lee the martial artist and movie star.  But do you know Bruce Lee the philosopher, comedian or master of personal development?  Bruce was one of my early inspirations.   He continuously pushed his mind and body to new levels and his physical prowess inspired and influenced body builders and martial artists alike.  As far as heroes go, Bruce Lee truly set an example of what it means to be YOUR best.  Bruce was all about making the most of what you’ve got, seeking truth knowledge, and applying what you know.   If you’ve seen him in movies or you know some of his quotes, you know exactly what I mean.   In this post, I share my lessons from Bruce Lee.

My Top 10 Lessons from Bruce Lee
These are my top 10 lessons from Bruce Lee:

• Be YOUR best.  It’s not about following in someone else’s footsteps or trying to be somebody you’re not.  It’s about unleashing your best version of yourself.  According to Bruce, “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”
• Absorb what is useful.  It’s not about blindly adopting patterns and practices.  It’s about taking the best of the best and tailoring it.  It’s also about throwing away what doesn’t work.  Bruce borrowed concepts and techniques from everybody and every art in a relentless pursuit of the best of the best.  According to Bruce, “Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.”
• Keep an open mind.  You have to be willing to throw out what you already know and have a curiosity to explore new paths.  If you’re cup is already full, you can’t learn new things.  According to Bruce, “First empty your cup.”
• Aim past your target. Aim past your target, so when you fall short, you still land in the ballpark of success.  Bruce Lee was famous for his one-inch punch, but in reality he was aiming past the one-inch.  According to Bruce, “Don’t fear failure.  Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
• Stay flexible.  Be flexible in your approach.  Learn from everybody and everything and don’t get locked into a particular style.  According to Bruce, “Expose yourself to various conditions and learn.”
• Focus on growth.   Push past your limits.  According to Bruce, “There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
• Know yourself. Your blind spots and ignorance can be your biggest weakness.  According to Bruce, “After all, all knowledge simply means self-knowledge.”
• Master your mind and body.   It’s not enough just to be smart.  It’s not enough just to master your body.  Your body and mind support each other.  Your body helps turn what you think or dream up into results.  According to Bruce, “As you think, so shall you become.”
• Apply what you know.  Life is not about watching from the sidelines.  Use what you know and put knowledge into practice.  Test yourself.  According to Bruce, “Knowing is not enough, we must do.  Willing is not enough, we must apply.”
• Make things happen.  When there is no wave, make one.  According to Bruce, “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

I think it really boils down to making the most of what you’ve got, including your mind and body, pushing past your limits and following a path of continuous learning and growth.

Bruce Lee’s Physical Feats
While we don’t know whether the following stretch the truth, we do know you don’t look the way Bruce did by default.  It was by design and he pushed his physical limits.

These are some of the physical feats attributed to Bruce based on various demonstrations, his friends and associates, and interviews:

• Bruce performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger.
• Bruce performed 50 reps of one-arm chin-ups.
• Bruce performed a sidekick while training with James Coburn and broke a 150 lb (68 kg) punching bag.
• Bruce could cause a 200-lb bag to fly towards and thump the ceiling with a sidekick.
• Bruce could snatch a dime off a person’s open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind.
• Bruce’s striking speed from three feet with his hands down by his side reached five hundredths of a second.

Bruce Lee Quotes
I’ve included some of my favorite Bruce Lee quotes below.  I’ve organized them using the following categories: Art / Artistry, General, Goals, Growth / Learning, Life, Mistakes, Positive Thinking, Personal Development, Power / Speed / Flexiblity, Self-Awareness, Simplicity, Time, and Truth.

Art / Artistry

• Art calls for complete mastery of techniques, developed by reflection within the soul.
• Art is the way to the absolute and to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities – thought, feeling, will – to the life rhythm of the world of nature. So will the voiceless voice be heard and the self be brought into harmony with it.
• The second-hand artist blindly following his sensei or sifu accepts his pattern. As a result, his action is and , more importantly, his thinking become mechanical. His responses become automatic, according to set patterns, making him narrow and limited.

General

• It’s not what you give, it’s the way you give it.
• Know the difference between a catastrophe and an inconvenience. — To realize that it’s just an inconvenience, that it is not a catastrophe, but just an unpleasantness, is part of coming into your own, part of waking up.
• Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.
• Obey the principles without being bound by them.
  Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.
• Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.
• Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.
• “What is” is more important than “what should be.” Too many people are looking at “what is” from a position of thinking “what should be.”

Goals

• A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.
• If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.
  Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.

Growth / Learning

• A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.
• As you think, so shall you become.
• A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.
• Don’t fear failure.  Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.
• Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.
• Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.
• I am not teaching you anything. I just help you to explore yourself.
• If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.
• If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.
• In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup.
• Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do.
• The knowledge and skills you have achieved are meant to be forgotten so you can float comfortably in emptiness, without obstruction.

Life

• Life is better lived than conceptualized. — This writing can be less demanding should I allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I’ve come to understand that life is best to be lived — not to be conceptualized. If you have to think, you still do not understand.
• Life is never stagnation. It is constant movement, unrhythmic movement, as we as constant change. Things live by moving and gain strength as they go.
• Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier.
• Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning.
• Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system.
• Real living is living for others.
• Reality is apparent when one ceases to compare. — There is “what is” only when there is no comparison at all, and to live with what is, is to be peaceful.
• The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.

Mistakes

• Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.
• The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.

Positive Thinking

• Choose the positive. You have choice, you are master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.
• If you think a thing is impossible, you’ll make it impossible.
• To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.

Personal Development

• Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.
• Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.
• I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.
• I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.
• The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.
• What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become.

Power / Speed / Flexibility

• A powerful athlete is not a strong athlete, but one who can exert his strength quickly. Since power equals force times speed, if the athlete learns to make faster movements he increases his power, even though the contractile pulling strength of his muscles remains unchanged. Thus, a smaller man who can swing faster may hit as hard or as far as the heavier man who swings slowly.
• Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible. It is being “wholly” and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.
• Endurance is lost rapidly if one ceases to work at its maximum.
• I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
• Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.
• One should be in harmony with, not in opposition to, the strength and force of the opposition. This means that one should do nothing that is not natural or spontaneous; the important thing is not to strain in any way
• The athlete who is building muscles though weight training should be very sure to work adequately on speed and flexibility at the same time. In combat, without the prior attributes, a strong man will be like the bull with its colossal strength futilely pursuing the matador or like a low-geared truck chasing a rabbit.
• The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.
• When one has reached maturity in the art, one will have a formless form. It is like ice dissolving in water. When one has no form, one can be all forms; when one has no style, he can fit in with any style.

Self-Awareness

• After all, all knowledge simply means self-knowledge.
• Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better. As the great Sun Tzu said: “When you know yourself and your opponent, you will win every time. When you know yourself but not your opponent, you will win one and lose one. However, when you do not know yourself or your opponent, you will be imperiled every time.”
• Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
• The biggest adversary in our life is ourselves. We are what we are, in a sense, because of the dominating thoughts we allow to gather in our head. All concepts of self-improvement, all actions and paths we take, relate solely to our abstract image of ourselves. Life is limited only by how we really see ourselves and feel about our being. A great deal of pure self-knowledge and inner understanding allows us to lay an all-important foundation for the structure of our life from which we can perceive and take the right avenues.
• To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.
• To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.
• Understanding comes about through feeling, from moment to moment in the mirror of relationship.
• When we hold to the core, the opposite sides are the same if they are seen from the center of the moving circle. I do not experience; I am experience. I am not the subject of experience; I am that experience. I am awareness. Nothing else can be I or can exist.

Simplicity

• It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.
• Simplicity is the key to brilliance.
• To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to spend or waste, and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever.
• When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow – you are not understanding yourself.

Time

• Flow in the living moment. — We are always in a process of becoming and nothing is fixed. Have no rigid system in you, and you’ll be flexible to change with the ever changing. Open yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the total openness of the living moment. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.
• If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.
• The moment is freedom. — I couldn’t live by a rigid schedule. I try to live freely from moment to moment, letting things happen and adjusting to them.
• The timeless moment. — The “moment” has no yesterday or tomorrow. It is not the result of thought and therefore has no time.

Truth

• All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.
• Truth has no path. Truth is living and, therefore, changing. Awareness is without choice, without demand, without anxiety; in that state of mind, there is perception. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. Awareness has no frontier; it is giving of your whole being, without exclusion.

Where to Go From Here?
While there are countless resources on the Web, and you can always check out his movies, my favorite book on Bruce Lee, is by Bruce Lee.

It’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do .  Aside from the fact that it’s written by the master himself, I like the fact that Bruce wrote it while he was bedridden for six months.  You can just imagine how Bruce, the warrior, put everything he could into sharing the best of what he knew, while dealing with a pretty traumatic point in his life.  I also like the simple sketches throughout the book which show how he borrowed the best of the best, such as the boxer’s hands or a wrestler’s grappling moves.

My Related Posts

• Lessons Learned from Jack Canfield
• Lessons Learned from Ken Blanchard
• Lessons Learned from Peaceful Warrior
• Lessons Learned from Per
• Lessons Learned from Stephen Covey

I’m a fan of periodic experiments for finding new ways to improve your mind and body.  My latest experiment is shedding ten years of age-related damage in ten weeks based on the book, Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks, by Dr. Julian Whitaker and Carol Colman.  Given how much heart disease, cancer, … etc there is in today’s world, it won’t hurt me to put more techniques under my belt.  I told some friends and colleagues about my experiment and they wanted me to share my notes, so here it goes …

Benefits of the Age-Loss Program
The book outlines the following potential benefits:

• Lose a decade’s worth of fat and regain ten year’s worth of muscle.
• Erase fine lines, diminish wrinkles, and restore youthful glow.
• Boost your brain power and sharpen your memory.
• Revitalize and enjoy your sex life.
• Strengthen your immune system and prevent disease.
• Recharge your spirit and regain your energy of yesteryear.

The Key to the Age-Loss Program
What I like about the book is that it’s not magic.  It’s based on results from research and experience with more than 15,000 patients.  It boils down to the following formula — eat the right foods, take the right supplements, exercise regularly, and control the negative impact of stress in your life.  Dr. Whitaker does mention that the combination of supplements is especially important.

Wellness and Reversing Diseases
I really like the fact that Dr. Whitaker is focused on wellness over illness.  He specializes in modeling from the best and sharing what works.  I also like the fact that he focuses on “reversing” issues.  For example, he has books on reversing diabetes, reversing heart disease, and reversing health risks.

10 Steps of the Age-Loss Program
Here’s a summary of the objectives of the ten steps, according to Dr. Whitaker and Colman.

Supplement Routine
Here’s an example of the supplement routine, based on Dr. Whitaker’s and Colman:

Skin Routine
Here’s an example of the skin routine, based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

Workout Routine
Here’s an example of the workout routine based on Dr. Whitaker and Colman:

Dr. Julian Whitaker’s Supplement Recommendations
Here’s an example of the key supplements Dr. Whitaker recommends:

• Beta-Carotene (15,000 total)
• Chromium Picolinate (200 Micrograms total) (2 x 100 micrograms)
• Co-Q10 (60 MG total) (2 x 30 MG)
• Ginkgo Biloba (120 MG total) (2 x 60 MG)
• Lipoic Acid (50 MG total) (2 x 25 MG)
• Omega-3 (1000 MG total) (360 MG EPA, 240 MG DHA)
• Potassium – Magnesium apartate (1000 MG total) (2 x 500 MG)
• Selenium (200 Micgrograms total)
• Vitamin A (5000 IU total)
• Vitamin C (2500 MG total) (Multi-vitamin = 1200 MG,
• supplement = 1300 MG)
• Vitamin E (800 MG total)

Shopping List Example
Here’s an example of how the supplements mapped to products I could actually get:

• Alpha Lipoic Acid (Solar Ray Alpha Lipoic Acid, 250 MG, 60 capsules)
• Bio CoQ-10 (Solar Ray Bio CoQ-10, 60 MG, 60 capsules)
• Chromium Picolinate (Trader Darwin’s Chromium Picolinate -
• 200 Micrograms, 100 tablets)
• Ginkgo Biloba (Solar Ray, Ginkgo Biloba, 60 MG)
• Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates (Solar Ray Magnesium and Potassium Asporatates)
• Multi-vitamin (Super Nutrition – Iron Free, Easy Swallow Opti-Pack)
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Trader Darwin’s Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 1200 MG, 90 softgels)
• Vitamin C (Solar Ray Bio-Plex, Buffered Vitamin C, 500 MG, 250 capsules)
• Green drink (Greens to Go)
• Odorless Garlic (Trader Darwin’s Odorless Garlic)
• Olive and Oregano Oil (Trader Darwin’s Olive and Oregano Oil

Results So far
I’m only three weeks in so I don’t expect miracles.  So far though I’ve dropped more than 10 pounds and I’m closer to my “fighting weight.”  I have a lot more power hours throughout the day.  I have a spring in my step and I feel a lot more powerful.  I would expect that from any combination of the right foods, the right workout, and the right sleep.  I guess the part that’s different is how quickly my nails and hair are growing and how fresh my skin is.  I think that’s where the supplements are showing.

Lessons Learned
I’ve learned a few lessons so far that really help me:

• Reduce friction.  Rather than depend on sheer will power, I find ways to make it easier to fall into success.  trade complexity for simplicity.  Anything I can do to simplify or reduce friction, I do.  For example, rather than run outdoors, I got a NordicTrack Elliptical so that rainy days didn’t get in the way.
• Find the fun.  I think anything long-term has to be fun.  In general, we move towards pleasure and away from pain.  For example, I originally was going to get a treadmill, but realized that I liked the idea of bounding on an Elliptical better.  I also found that I need to play my favorite songs to associate fun to the pain of the workout.
• Take weekends off.  I doubt Dr. Whitaker would agree, but for me, it’s easier for me to push during the week, if the weekend is playtime.
•  Make it a routine.  I found that I really have to make it a routine so the less I have to think about it, the easier it is to just do it.  For example, even just scheduling time for the workout was important.  I tested in the morning and tested at night, and while the morning is easier to make a routine, I find I like it more at night.
• Find your personal success patterns.  I experimented with a few different sleep patterns and found that if I wake up too early, I’m just no my most for the day.  I really do measure my day in power hours.  What good is having more time if you can’t use it?  I finally realized that just by flipping through my past experiences, I could find success patterns that worked to draw from.
• Turn your routines into checklists.  I find that having a simple, scannable checklists go a long way (for example, the supplement routine, skin routine, and workout routine above helped me quickly visualize what I need to do.)
• Find what works for you.  I found the diet part of the routine a little tough to follow.  I think the principles were sound, but it’s easier for me to just follow The Zone.  (see A Zone Primer.)

Additional Resources

• Dr. Whitaker.com
• Whitaker Wellness Institute

My Related Posts

• Melt Away Stress
• Take a Worry Break
• Exercise Your Body Makes You Smarter
• A Zone Primer
• What is The Zone

Do you feel smarter after you workout?  It’s because you have more oxygen available to your brain.  Working out also increases your sense of well-being.  In Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks, Dr. Julian Whitaker and Colman write about how exercising makes you smarter and feel better.

Think Better and Feel Better
Dr. Whitaker and Colman write the following:

Did you ever wonder why you feel so recharged after a good workout?  Nowhere is the body mind connection more apparent than when it comes to the effect of exercise on the brain.  Exercise increases the amount of oxygen available to the brain by making the heart stronger and able to pump more oxygenated blood.  In addition to increasing oxygen stores, exercise creates a natural high.  It stimulates the release of endorphins, neurochemicals that actually have an opiatelike effect on the brain.  People who exercise think more clearly, feel more alert and energetic, and have a markedly increased sense of well-being.

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

• Exercising makes you think and feel better and act better.
• You feel smarter after you workout because you have more oxygen available to your brain.
• Endorphins released during exercise make you feel better.

I originally thought the Zone was a fad diet, but a colleague told me that it’s actually based on science and results.  In fact, some Olympic athletes have used the Zone.  I then started researching the Zone to find patterns and practices for more effective eating strategies.  In this post, I summarize fundamentals of the Zone.  This post is based on the book,  The Top 100 Zone Foods: The Zone Food Science Ranking System, by Dr. Barry Sears.

You’re Only as Good or Bad as Your Last Meal
According to Dr. Sears, your hormones are adjusted at every meal:

To enter the Zone, you need to learn how to maintain the hormones produced by the foods you eat within a Zone (not too high, not too low).  These hormones are readjusted every time you eat a meal or snack, so you’re only as good or as bad as your last meal.  This means that if you splurge and eat too many carbohydrates in one sitting, you can get back into the Zone the next time you eat.  Thus you don’t need to feel guilty about cheating.  Just make your next meal Zone-friendly.

The Zone is a Precise Medical Definition
Dr. Sears writes that the Zone is a precise medical definition:

The Zone is not some clever marketing phrase.  The Zone has a very precise medical definition that can be measured with a simple blood test.  The next time you have a blood test, ask your doctor to measure your fasting insulin levels.  If your insulin levels are too high (greater than 10 uU/ml), you know that you’re not in the Zone.  The sluggishness, hunger, and moodiness you feel in between meals are all signs that you’re out of the Zone.

Food is Your Key Drug
According to Dr. Sears, food is your key drug for controlling your insulin:

You can lower your insulin levels to get into the Zone.  The only “drug” that can take you there is food.  In the process, you’ll radically improve your quality of life.  You’ll feel less tired, more mentally charged, and happier throughout the day.  Your new hormonal balance will be giving your body the continuous fuel it needs to keep all your systems operating at their peak performance.  You will feel your body tell you that “all systems are go” and that the possibilities of what you can do are limitless.

Wipe Away the Myths
Dr. Sears writes that you have to reexamine what you know about nutrition:

How can you gain control of your unruly hormones?  You need to wipe away many of the nutrition myths that you’ve probably come to believe — for example, that fat is bad and pasta is good.  You need to stop fooling yourself into thinking that you can lose weight while eating fat-free cookies or fat-free ice cream.

Balance and Quality
Dr. Sears writes that the key to the Zone is balancing protein, carbs, and fats and choosing higher quality foods:

You need to embrace the notion that you must have a balance of the three major categories of food (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) at every meal to get the right response from your body.  You also need to be selective about the quality of the foods you choose within each category to get the most hormonal cluck for your buck. …  Get the right balance and quality of foods, and your body will produce the appropriate hormonal signals for the next four to six hours.  During this time, you will be in the Zone.  You can keep yourself there by eating the same balance of foods at your next meal or snack.  But you still need to be selective about the quality of foods you choose within each category.

Seven Rules of the Zone
Dr. Sears provides seven rules for the Zone:

• Rule 1.  Always eat a Zone meal within one hour of waking.
• Rule 2.  Every time you eat, go for a Zone balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
• Rule 3.  Try to eat five times a day: three Zone meals and two Zone snacks.  Afternoon and late evening snacks (which are really Zone mini-meals) are important to keep you in the zone throughout the day.
• Rule 4.  Never let more than five hours go by without eating a Zone meal or snack — regardless of whether you are hungry or not.  In fact, the best time to eat is when you aren’t hungry because that means you have stabilized your insuline levels.
• Rule 5.  Eat more fruits and vegetables (yest, these are carbohydrates) and ease off the bread, pasta, grains, and other starches.  Treat these low-quality carbohydrates like condiments.
• Rule 6.  Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day.
• Rule 7.  If you make a mistake at a meal, don’t worry about it.  There’s no guilt in the Zone.  Just make your next meal a Zone meal to get you where you (and your hormones) belong.

Divide Your Plate in Three (The Hand-Eye Method)
Dr. Sears provides a simple way to divide your plate to create a Zone friendly meal:

Divide your plate into three portions.  On one-third of your plate, choose a low-fat protein portion.  It should be no bigger than the size and thickness of your palm.  Then fill the other two-thirds of your plate with high-quality carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits).  Add a dash (that’s a small amount) of “good” fat to complete your Zone plate.

Zone Food Block method
For those that want a more precise way of measuring your meal, Dr. Sears provides the Zone Food Block method:

You may find that creating Zone meals using the hand-eye method described earlier works well to get you into the Zone.  Some people don’t like to estimate portion sizes, however, and would prefer a more scientific way of measuring out carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  If you are one of these people, you should consider using the Zone Food Block method.  … Instead of using your plate as a guide, you’ll be counting out blocks of protein, carbohydrates and fat. 

Protein Block, Carbohydrate Block, and Fat Block
According to Dr. Sears, the Zone Food Blocks are as follows:

• Protein Block.  One Protein Block contains 7 grams of protein.  The average male needs four Protein Blocks and the average woman needs three Protein blocks.  
• Carbohydrate Block.  One Carbohydrate Block contains 9 grams of carbohydrates.  3 Carbohydrate Blocks would contain 27 carbohydrates.  4 Carbohydrate Blocks would contain 36 carbohydrates.
• Fat Block.  One Fat Block contains 3 grams of fat.  3 Fat Blocks would contain 9 grams of fat.  4 Fat Blocks would contain 12 grams of fat.

Key notes about the Zone Food Blocks:

• The number of Protein Blocks you need depends on whether you are a man or a woman.
• Eat the same number of Carbohydrate Blocks at every meal as Protein Blocks.
• Eat the same number of Fat Blocks at every meal as Protein Blocks.

The “1-2-3″ Method
Dr. Sears writes that you can think of the Fat Block as the “1-2-3″ Method:

Each fat block contains 3 grams of fat, so you’ll get 9 grams of fat in three blocks and 12 grams in four blocks.  Another way to think of this is to use the “1-2-3″ method.  Plan to have 1 gram of fat for every 2 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbohydrate.  A typical Zone meal for a woman would contain 10 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein, and 30 grams of carbohydrate.

The Average Woman Zone Food Blocks
According to Dr. Sears, a typical Zone meal for a woman would contain about 9 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, and 27 grams of carbohydrates.

• 3 Protein Blocks.  The average woman will need three Protein Blocks for each meal (21 grams of protein.)  That translates into about 3 ounces of high-quality protein.
• 3 Carbohydrate Blocks.  The average woman will need three Carbohydrate blocks for each meal (27 grams of carbohydrates.)
• 3 Fat Blocks.  The average woman will need three Fat Blocks (9 grams of fat.)

The Average Male Zone Food Blocks
According to Dr. Sears, the typical Zone meal for a man would contain about 12 grams of fat, 28 grams of protein, and 36 grams of carbohydrates.

• 4 Protein Blocks.  The average man will need four Protein Blocks for each meal (28 grams of protein.)  That translates into about 4 ounces of high-quality protein.
• 4 Carbohydrate Blocks.  The average man will need four Carbohydrate Blocks for each meal (36 grams of carbohydrates.)
• 4 Fat Blocks.  The average man will need four Fat Blocks for each meal (12 grams of fat.)

Three Steps to a Zone Meal
Dr. Sears outlines the three steps to a Zone meal:

• Step #1. Start with Protein
• Step #2. Balance with Carbohydrates
• Step #3. Add Fat

Step #1.  Start with Protein
Dr. Sears writes:

The first step of Zone meal preparation is never to consume any more low-fat protein than you can fit in the palm of your hand or that is any thicker than your hand.  For the average American female, this amount is 3 ounces of low-fat protein, and for the average American male it is about 4 ounces.  Unless you are active, your body can’t utilize any more protein that that at a single sitting, and any excess protein will be converted to fat.

Your body needs a constant supply of dietary protein to replace the protein that is lost from your body on a daily basis.  What’s more, eating protein stimulates the release of the hormone glucagon, which has a hormonal effect opposite to that of insulin.  Glucagon tells your body to release stored carbohydrates from the liver to replenish blood sugar levels in the brain.  Without adequate levels of glucagon, you’ll always feel hungry and mentally fatigued because your brain is short on its primary fuel — blood sugar.

Step #2. Balance with Carbohydrates
Dr. Sears writes:

Once you have the protein portion of your meal, you need to balance it with carbohydrates.  Remember: fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates.  In fact, they are the highest-quality carbohydrates you can eat, which is why (with one or two exceptions) they are the only carbohydrates you’ll find on my Top 100 list.  The reason you won’t find pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes on my list is that they wreak havoc on your body without providing much nutrition.  First of all, these carbohydrates  in cause dangerous spikes in your insulin levels, which cause your blood sugar levels to rise and then quickly fall, leaving you famished just two hours after eating.  Second, these carbohydrates contain very few vitamins and minerals (unless they’re artificially fortified) and only sparse amounts of phytochemicals, the tiny plant chemicals that can ward off cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses by acting as powerful anti-oxidants.

On the other hand, fruits and vegetables meet both of my criteria for high-quality foods.  They are packed with natural vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.  They also contain fiber, which slows the release of insulin so you won’t get quick spikes in your blood sugar.  This is why an apple leaves you feeling satisfied longer than a cookie.  not all carbohydrates are equal in their ability to stimulate the production of insulin.  The high-quality carbohydrates are favorable in that they have the capacity to stimulate insulin: others are unfavorable in that they have a high capacity to stimulate insulin.

Step #3: Add Fat
Dr. Sears writes:

Now your plate is completely covered.  Protein takes up one-third of the space, and carbohydrates take up the other two-thirds.  Where does fat fit in?  Fat is the sprinkling that seasons your foods — whether it’s the teaspoon of olive oil that you cook your vegetables in or the avocado slices or handful of slivered almonds that you add to your salad.  Without fat, you can’t have a complete Zone meal.

Fat has no direct effect on insulin, nor does it have any effect on glucagon.  Fat, though, acts like a control rod in a nuclear reactor, slowing the rate at which carbohydrates enter your bloodstream.  In addition, it also causes the release of another hormone that tells your brain to stop eating.  Finally, fat gives you a feeling of satiety and helps blend the flavors that give great meals their exquisite taste.

The high-quality fats that make my Top 100 list are those that are good for your heat and your health in general.  These are the monounsaturated fats and long-chain Omega 3 fats.  You get monounsaturated fats from olive oil, select nuts, and avocados.  Long-chain Omega-3 fats come from fish and fish oils (like the cod liver oil your grandmother told you to take).  These are exceptionally powerful allies in your quest for a longer life.

The fats that are absent from my Top 100 are the saturated fats, trans fats, and Omega-6 fats.  You find saturated fats in margarine and other partially hydrogenated oils found in many processed snack foods.  Polyunsaturated fats like corn and safflower oil are rich in Omega-6 fats, which in excess are far worse for you hormonally than saturated fats.  I consider these Omega-6 fats to be really “bad” fats because they can lead to increased inflammation, which is an underlying cause of heart disease and arthritis.

Zone Meal Timing
Dr. Sears provides an example of meal timing to stay in the Zone throughout your day:

A Day in the Zone
Dr. Sears provides an example day in the Zone:

You’ll Lose Weight and Live a Longer Life
Dr. Sears writes:

Just glancing through this, you should notice that it’s a lot of food.  That’s because you’re eating low-density carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables.  On a volume basis, fruits and vegetables contain much fewer carbohydrates than high-density bread and pasta.  This means you get more food in fewer calories.  For this reason, women typically eat only about 1,200 calories a day on the zone and mean only about 1,500 calories per day.  This is what I call the Zone paradox.  You can consume a lot of food without getting a lot of calories or feeling hungry or deprived.  You will also lose weight, which is an added plus.  Most importantly, if you eat only Zone meals and snacks, you are greatly increasing your chance for a longer life by keeping your overall calorie count at a level that has been shown by 60 years of research to be the only way to reach your maximum longevity.

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

• You’re only as good or bad as your last meal.  I really like this idea of eating thinking one meal at a time.  Your hormones readjust every time you eat, so each meal is a new chance for you to get in the Zone.
• Your insulin levels influence your quality of life.  Your hormones influence your thinking and feeling.  They also influence your ability to have a long and healthy life.
• Food is the key drug that controls your insulin levels.  Your food choices impact your insulin.
• The key to the Zone is balancing carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  To be in the Zone, you need to balance your carbohydrates, protein and fats. 
• Choose higher-quality foods over lower-quality foods.  You need to choose higher-quality foods over lower-quality.  For example, choose fibrous carbohydrates over starchy carbohydrates.  Avoid foods that have a high glycemic impact.
• For a Zone meal, divide your plate in three.  For 1/3rd of your plate, choose a low-fat protein (chicken or fish.)  For 2/3rds of your plate, choose fibrous carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables.)
• Think in protein, carbohydrate, and fat blocks.  A Protein Block is 7 grams of protein, a Carbohydrate Block is 9 grams of carbohydrates, and a Fat Block is 3 grams of fat.
• Men need 4 blocks of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.   This translates to 12 grams of fat, 28 grams of protein, and 36 grams of carbohydrates.
• Women need 3 blocks of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.  This translates to 9 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, and 27 grams of carbohydrates.
• Choose “good” fats over ‘bad” fats.  Choose monosaturated fats and long-chain Omega 3 fats over saturated fats, trans fats, and Omega-6 fats.

My Related Posts

• What Is The Zone
• Dining Out In The Zone
• Supermarket Shopping In The Zone
• High-Quality Carbs, Proteins, and Fats
• The Top 100 Zone Foods

The Story of the Zone
Dr. Sears writes about his inspiration for creating the Zone:

You probably assume you’re a product of your genes.  You have your father’s eyes, your mother’s freckles, and your grandmother’s diabetes.  I, too, am a product of my genes.  Every male on my father’s side has died at an early death after suffering a premature heart attack.  My father died in 1972 at the age of 54, and I was sure that I was genetically destined for this same fate.

 Although I knew I couldn’t change my genes, I didn’t want to be a slave to them either.  I was determined to alter my genetic destiny and live a normal, healthy lifespan.  I didn’t buy into the notion that some new medication would come along to save me.  I had to take charge of my own health directly by changing my eating habits.  So I decided to devote my work as a researcher to discovering what, if any, dietary habits could reverse my impending collision course with my genetic fate.  Through 20 years of research, I’ve learned that foods can indirectly turn certain genes on and off by altering the levels of hormones, the chemical messengers that control our lives.  These hormones can alter our genetic fate by increasing or decreasing our natural lifespan.

 

Keep Your Insulin Levels in the Zone
Dr. Sears writes that the key to a longer, healthier life is controlling your insulin levels:

One of the most powerful hormones controlled by foods we eat is insulin.  My research found that if you could keep insulin levels within a certain zone — not too high and not too low — you could, in fact, bypass your genetic glitches and avoid certain chronic diseases.  The result?  A longer and healthier life.

A Life-Long Dietary Strategy
Dr. Sears writes that the Zone is not a short-term diet, but a life-long dietary strategy:

I called my program the Zone Diet.  Although it was developed for treating cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, it is also the most effective way to lose excess body fat without feeling deprived or hungry.  It is not a short-term diet, but a life-long dietary strategy that can keep you at a healthy weight for the rest of your life.

Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat 
Dr. Sears writes that the key to the Zone is balancing carbohydrates, protein and fat:

All you need to do is eat the right combination of foods at every meal.  This means eating a balanced amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat at every meal and snack — and eating all these foods in moderation.  Follow this simple rule at every meal, and you will achieve the hormonal responses that will get you into the Zone.

The Longest Living Population in the World
According to Dr. Sears, the Okinawans have a diet similar to the Zone:

The Zone Diet has continued to evolve into increasingly healthier versions, such as replacing low-fat animal protein with increasing amounts of soy protein. I wrote The Soy zone based on the diet eaten by the longest-living population in the world, the Okinawans.  Their basic diet is the Zone Diet, containing primarily vegetables, some fish and animal protein, but with most of their protein from soy.

Short Term Benefits in the Zone
According to Dr. Sears, within one week of the Zone, you’ll enjoy the following benefits:

• Get mentally focused.
• Experience a surge of energy.
• Lose a few pounds of fat.
• Feel happier.
• Gain control over your insulin levels.

Long Term Benefits in the Zone
According to Dr. Sears, in the longer term, the benefits of the Zone include:

• You will achieve permanent fat loss.
• You will reduce your risk of heart disease.
• You will protect yourself against adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes.
• You will lower your risk of arthritis and osteoporosis.
• You may reduce your risk of developing breast cancer.
• You’ll get fewer infections.
• Your skin will look younger.

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

• The Zone was originally created for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.
• The longest-living population follows  diet similar to the Zone.
• You can successfully influence your genetic tendencies by your food choices.
• Treat food like a “drug” that influences your hormone levels.
• Control your insulin levels to stay in the Zone.
• The Zone is a life-long dietary strategy.

My Related Posts

• Dining Out in the Zone
• Supermarket Shopping in the Zone
• High-Quality Carbs, Proteins, and Fats
• The Top 100 Zone Foods

You Can Have It Both Ways
Dr. Sears writes that food should be enjoyed:

I’m always drumming in your head that food is a drug, but I also want food t be the ultimate pleasure.  You should be salivating over your Zone meals and treating yourself to a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant.  The sheer enjoyment of food is an integral part of the zone plan, and I don’t want to deny you any of the eating pleasures you’ve experienced in the past.  All you need to do is follow some simple guidelines, and you can eat the way you’d like and stay in the Zone.  You can have it both ways.

Six Guidelines for Eating Out
Dr. Sears provides six guidelines for staying in the Zone while eating out:

• 1. Eat ahead of time.  Have a Zone snack less than two hours before you go to the restaurant.  It’s much easier to dine in the zone and make the right food choices if your blood sugar is stable.
• 2. Skip the bread.  When you are seated, simply ask your server not to bring any bread or rolls to the table.  If you need something before your main course, have a glass of wine and a protein appetizer (like smoked salmon or shrimp cocktail).  Sipping your win, determine the protein entree you plan to eat (such as grilled chicken or fish.)
• 3. Substitute for low-quality side dishes.  Ask your waiter if you can replace any side dishes that are low-quality carbohydrates (pasta, rice, grains or other starches) with high-quality carbohydrates like steamed vegetables.
• 4. Create a Zone-size meal.  When the meal arrives, but a serving out of your protein entree that’s as big as the size and thickness of your palm.  Ask your waiter to wrap the rest of your entree up so you can take it home.  Of course you still eat all of your high-quality carbohydrates that came with the entree.
• 5. Divvy up dessert.  If you want a rich desert, eat only half and give the other half to your dining partner.  Of course, if you opt for fresh fruit, you can eat the whole thing.
• 6. Give yourself a little leeway.  Finally, if you consume too many carbohydrates or too many calories at a meal, don’t worry that you’ve done irreperable damage.  You can reset your hormonal system if you make sure your next meal is a Zone meal.

Chinese
Dr. Sears provides tips for when you dine Chinese:

Forget the rice, and you have all the makings of a great Zone meal.  Grilled fish or chicken, stir-fried chicken, or tofu dishes are great sources of protein.  Choose a protein dish that’s piled high with abundant levels of high-quality carbohydrates, such as vegetables, to accompany your high-protein choice.

Italian
Dr. Sears provides tips for when you dine Italian:

This is always a potential Zone disaster because of the heaping amounts of pasta and bread piled on your plate.  Try the chicken or fish entrees served with extra vegetables instead of pasta.  Drizzle on some olive oil to enhance the flavor of your salads and cooked vegetables.  If you want pasta, have it as a small side dish.  I wouldn’t recommend pasta though, if you’re planning on drinking wine, since you’ll eat far too many carbohydrates for a Zone meal.

Japanese
Dr. Sears provides tips for when you dine Japanese:

Japanese cuisine is more Zone balanced thatn what you typically find in a Chinese restaurant, but you still should avoid the rice.  Fish and tofu entrees with abundant amounts of steamed vegetables are great.  Even sushi is not a bad balance of protein and carbohydrate.  (Helpful hint — A breaded protein dish like tempura is not a high-quality Zone protein choice.)

Mexican
Dr. Sears provides tips for when you dine Mexican:

This is another potential Zone disaster area because of the large amounts of low-quality carbohydrates, especially chips, refried beans, rice, and tortillas.  You can stay in the zone though, if you choose the chicken fajitas.  Always ask for corn instead of flour tortillas to decrease your carbohydrate intake, and for extra vegetables in place of the rice and beans.  Don’t forget to dab on a little guacamole, which is a great source of monounsaturated fat.

French
Dr. Sears provides tips for when you dine French:

If you’re eating in a gourmet French restaurant, you’ll probably be in Zone heaven.  You’ll be served a small serving of protein piled with plenty of crisp colorful vegetables lightly dressed in olive oil.  enjoy the wine and the meal.

Pizza Parlors
Dr. Sears provides tips for when you eat at pizzerias:

Yes, you can still eat pizza in the Zone.  It’s not the highest-quality meal you can find, but it’s OK on occasion.  Order the thin crust pizza instead of the thick crust and make sure that you have a protein-rich topping like cheese, chicken or even anchovies.  Then eat the topping of every slice, but only eat every other crust.  To make your pizza more satisfying, order extra vegetables as a topping.

Dining Out for Business Travelers
Dr. Sears provides an example of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks when you’re on the road:

• Breakfast – Egg-white omelet with a side order of oatmeal.  This is the ultimate power breakfast.  Just don’t eat the toast and the hash brown potatoes.
• Lunch – Chicken Ceasar salad with fresh fruit for desert.
• Dinner – Grilled fish with extra vegetables in place of the starch.  Have fresh fruit for dessert.  Consider having a glass of wine with the dinner, and always pass on the rolls. 
• Road Snacks – Have 1 ounce of sliced turkey or of low-fat cheese with half a piece of fruit.

Things to Avoid When Eating Out
Dr. Sears suggests avoiding the following:

• Fatty meats (steaks, pork, lamb)
• Fried foods (including appetizers)
• French fries
• Chips
• Excessive amounts of starches (rice, pasta, and bread)
• Rich desserts (unless it is a very small portion size)

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

• Get in the Zone before you go.  Have a Zone meal before you eat out.  This will help you make better food choices.
• Trade high-quality carbs for low.  Substitute your sides.  Choose starchy carbohydrates for fibrous carbohydrates.
• Cut your portions.  Eat your palm sized portion of protein, then take the rest home.
• For Chinese, choose a protein dish with vegetables.  Avoid breaded dishes when possible.
• For Italian, choose fish or chicken and a salad.  Avoid the pasta and breads. 
• For Japanese, avoid rice.  Sushi is not a bad choice.
• For Mexican, choose chicken Chicken fajitas.  Avoid the breads and starchy carbs.  Choose corn tortillas over flour tortillas.
• For French, enjoy the meal!
  
• For pizzerias, order thin crust, and top with chicken and vegetables.  Eat the topping of ever slice, but only eat the crust of every other slice.
• On the road, stay in the Zone.  For breakfast have an omelet, for lunch a chicken salad, for dinner fish with vegetables, and snack on cheese and fruit.

My Related Posts

• Supermarket Shopping in the Zone
• High-Quality Carbs, Proteins, and Fats
• The Top 100 Zone Foods

Five Steps to Supermarket Shopping
Dr. Sears provides the following tips for food shopping while staying in the Zone:

• Step #1. Always go with a list.
• Step #2. Stay mainly on the periphery.
• Step #3. Make the produce section your foray into new adventures.
• Step #4. Go for fresh meat and poultry rather than the deli counter.
• Step #5. Consider buying organic produce.

Step #1. Always go with a list.
Dr. Sears writes:

Go prepared with a list of high-quality Zone foods, and stick with that list.  To help you stick with the list, make sure you don’t shop when you’re hungry.  Eat a Zone meal or snack before you hit the supermarket.

Step #2. Stay mainly on the periphery.
Dr. Sears writes:

Ever notice that the fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products are all found in the outer aisles?  This is where you want to spend most of your time.  Avoid the center aisles, which contain the processed foods like cereals, pasta and snack foods.  And of course, avoid the bakery at all costs.

Step #3. Make the produce section your foray into new adventures.
Dr. Sears writes:

OK, you may find it hard to pass up the new brand of chocolates that screams to you from its bright pink bag.  But don’t the bright red tomatoes also beckon?  or the deep purple blackberries?  Go to a supermarket that displays appealing produce, free of bruises mold, and brown spots.  You’ll be more tempted to dive into the colorful delights.

Step #4. Go for fresh meat and poultry rather than the deli counter.
Dr. Sears writes:

With the exception of cooked turkey breast, you probably can’t find much higher-quality protein at the deli.  Head instead for the fish counter and the fresh meat choices.  Just make sure that any beef or pork you buy is well trimmed, preferably a “select” grade that is low in saturated fat.  You will probably still have to do some extra trimming of any separable fat to make it a good Zone protein choice.  Realize that the deli turkey breast and chicken breast are of lower protein quality than fresh poultry.

Step #5. Consider buying organic produce.
Dr. Sears writes:

Organically grown fruits and vegetables are higher-quality Zone foods than nonorganically grown produce.  This is because they are pesticide and herbicide free, and some research suggests that these chemicals can have negative effects on your hormonal systems.  I realize that organically grown produce is more expensive, but I think the added cost is well worth the health benefit.  Also, consider buying your produce from a farm stand or one of the farmer’s markets growing increasingly common in major cities.  Although this produce isn’t necessarily organically grown, it’s fresher than the produce you find in the supermarket and thus probably has a higher nutrient content.

Frozen vs. Fresh
Dr. Sears makes the case for frozen foods:

If you are like most people, you probably shop with the best intentions to buy fresh vegetables and fruits.  Unfortunately, you’ve probably also come to realize that the shelf life of such fresh produce doesn’t always conform to your daily schedule, and you may be sick of throwing away spoiled vegetables that you never got a chance to cook or fruit that has turned to mush.  If this is the case, you have two options: (1) Consider purchasing fresh produce two or three times each week. (2) Use frozen fruits and vegetables.

The quality of frozen produce has dramatically increased over the years, and the shelf life will always be greater (usually about two months before freezer burn begins to set in).  Furthermore frozen fruits and vegetables usually contain higher amounts of vitamins than fresh produce.  This is because they are quick-frozen within hours after harvest to reach your local food distributor.  From there you can expect a few more days before it gets to the supermarket and is bought and eaten by you.  During this time the vitamin content of the food is constantly decreasing.  By using frozen fruits and vegetables, you get maximum nutrition and convenience for the least cost.

Getting Out of Meal Ruts
Dr. Sears suggests varying your foods:

Most people find it’s easy to get stuck in a meal rut, preparing the same meals over and over again, week after week.  It’s easy, mindless, and less trouble than pouring through new recipes.  Still, I urge you to try a new food or two every week — or even every day if you cans swing it.  Just as you can make minor adjustments to your favorite meals to make them Zone-friendly, you can also make a few changes to your Zone meals to get the highest-quality foods.  Within a few weeks, you’ll have a formidable pharmacy of “drugs” to pick and choose from that will dramatically improve the quality of your life.

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

• Make a list.
• Spend more time on the periphery than the aisles.
• Make exploring fresh produce an adventure.
• Choose fresh meat and fish over the deli department.
• Consider organic.
• Consider frozen foods.

My Related Posts

• High-quality Carbs, Proteins, and Fats
• The Top 100 Zone Foods

High-Quality Carbohydrates (Think Anti-Oxidants)
Dr. Sears writes that the key to high-quality carbohydrates is to think anti-oxidants:

My definition of high-quality carbohydrates is one that does two things: (1) provides anti-oxidants and (2) keeps your blood sugar and insulin levels as stable as possible.  Anti-oxidants are essential because they quench free radicals, those unstable molecules in your body that wreak havoc on healthy cells and tissues.  Excess free-radical production remains the biggest impediments to your quality of life.  Although you need some free radicals to transform food into energy, any excess production of them (caused by eating too much food in general) triggers a breakdown in all areas of your body.  Free radicals degrade your cellular DNA, which can turn a healthy cell into a cancerous one.  They can also cause inflammation leading to heart disease, arthritis, and even wrinkles.

Three Factors to High-Quality Carbs
Dr. Sears considered three factors to determine the top-quality carbohydrates for his Top 100 Zone Foods list:

• Factor #1: anti-oxidative capacity.
• Factor #2: Glycemic index.
• Factor #3: Soluble fiber content.

Factor #1: Anti-Oxidant Capacity
Dr. Sears looks for carbohydrates with high anti-oxidant capacity:

When calculating the highest-quality carbohydrates for my Top 100 list, I looked first at fruit’s or vegetable’s total anti-oxidative capacity per gram of carbohydrate.  This includes not only the essential anti-oxidants such as vitamin A (often in the form of beta-carotene) and vitamin C, but also the braod array of nonessential anti-oxidants (like lycopene and other phytochemicals) that are packed into each gram of carbohydrate.  Anti-oxidant capacity is based on the strength that a certain food has to neutralize a given number of free radicals.  I ranked fruits and vegetables based on their anti-oxidant capacity per gram of carbohydrate.

Factor #2: Glycemic Index
Dr. Sears looks for carbohydrates with a lower glycemic index and lower glycemic load:

This is a measure of how rapidly your body breaks down carbohydrates in a particular food into the simple sugar glucose and how quickly this glucose gets into your bloodstream.  The faster a carbohydrate gets into your bloodstream, the faster the rise in your blood sugar and the faster the insulin is secreted to drive this excess glucose into storage in the muscle and liver.  The concept of the glycemic index only became well known during the past decade as nutritionists began to realize that many politically correct complex carbohydrates, like potatoes, actually caused faster rises in blood sugar than, well, table sugar.  The more rapidly the blood sugar increases, the more insulin is released.

Factor #3: Soluble Fiber
Dr. Sears looks for high soluble fiber in his carbohydrates:

This is the last factor I use to determine whether or not a carbohydrate is top Zone food.  Soluble fiber slows down the rate of entry of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, and this reduces insulin stimulation.  This factor can move some of the relative losers on the anti-oxidative index into winners.  This is the saving grace for apples, oatmeal, barley, and beans, which are relatively low in anti-oxidative capacity,but high in soluble fiber.  To qualify for the Top 100 Zone Foods list, a carbohydrate should have at least 0.3 grams of soluble fiber per Zone Block of carbohydrate.

Excellent Carbohydrates
According to Dr. Sears, the following are excellent Zone carbohydrate sources.  The number in parentheses is the anti-oxidative capacity per gram of carbohydrate.  Higher is better.

Vegetables

• (841) Spinach
• (434) Kale
• (387) Romaine lettuce
• (254) Broccoli
• (227) Cauliflower

Fruits

• (473) Blueberries
• (398) Blackberries
• (273) Strawberries

Very Good Carbohydrates
According to Dr. Sears, the following are very good Zone carbohydrate sources.  The number in parentheses is the anti-oxidative capacity per gram of carbohydrate.  Higher is better. 

Vegetables

• (159) Eggplant
• (146) Brussels sprouts
• (131) Red pepper
• (95) Cabbage
• (69) String beans
• (56) Onion

Fruits

• (101) Plum
• (63) Pink Grapefruit
• (62) Tomato
• (51) Kiwi

Good Carbohydrates
According to Dr. Sears, the following are good Zone carbohydrate sources.  The number in parentheses is the anti-oxidative capacity per gram of carbohydrate.  Higher is better.

Vegetables

• (37) Yellow squash
• (36) Celery
• (30) Cucumber

Fruits

• (44) Pear
• (42) Orange
• (42) Red grapes
• (30) Green grapes

Exceptionally Useless Carbohydrates
According to Dr. Sears, the following have virtually no anti-oxidative capacity:

• Bagels
• Pasta
• Rice
• Bread

High-Quality Protein (Think Low Fat)
According to Dr. Sears, the key to high-quality protein is to think low fat:

I define the quality of a protein source by its fat content.  Realize that all protein (even tofu) contains fat.  To quality for my Top 100 Zone Foods list, a protein choice must contain at least twice as much protein as fat.  This eliminates most cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, with a few exceptions like well-trimmed beef tenderloin.  Switching from high-fat protein choices to lower-fat ones will reduce your intake of saturated fat.  This will not only decrease cholesterol levels but also make the insulin receptors in your cells more responsive to insulin so that your body needs to make less of this hormone.  At the same time, you’ll also splash your intake of health-damaging Omega-6 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat found in all sources of protein.  This type of fat serves as the building block for certain types of eicosanoids that can accelerate the development of heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and arthritis.

Excellent Protein
According to Dr. Sears, the following are excellent Zone protein sources.  The number in parentheses is the Zone protein quality.  The higher the number the better.

• (44) Mackeral
• (40) Turkey breast
• (30) Haddock
• (30) Cod
• (30) Salmon
• (25) Soybean hamburger crumbles
• (22) Tuna steak
• (22) Turkey breast, deli
• (21) Lobster
• (20) Sea bass
• (20) Snapper

Very Good Protein
According to Dr. Sears, the following are very good Zone protein sources.  The number in parentheses is the Zone protein quality.  The higher the number the better. 

• (18) Chicken breast
• (16) Freshwater bass
• (15) Trout
• (12) Cottage cheese (1%)
• (9) Chicken breast, deli
• (9) Tuna, canned in water
• (7) Soy imitation meat products
• (6) Emu

Good Protein
According to Dr. Sears, the following are good Zone protein sources.  The number in parentheses is the Zone protein quality.  The higher the number the better. 

• (4) Pork tenderloin, well-trimmed
• (4) Tofu, extra-firm
• (3) Beef tenderloin, well-trimmed
• (3) Tofu, firm
• (2) Tempeh
• (2) Tofu, soft

Low-Quality Protein
According to Dr. Sears, these are low-quality protein foods.  They are fatty beef and pork products that contain relatively high amounts of fat and therefore high amounts of saturated and Omega-6 fats.

• (0.6) Ground beef (27% fat)
• (0.3) Sausage
• (0.2) Bacon

High-quality Fat: Think Monounsaturated Fat
According to Dr. Sears, the key to high-quality fat is to think monounsaturated fat:

Although I expend many more words discussing carbohydrates and protein, fat is not just a footnote.  It’s just as critical a part of the Zone.  This is because high-quality fat will definitely fuel you better than low-quality fat.  I define as high quality food that’s high in monounsaturated fats and low in saturated and Omega-6 fats.  Saturated fat (found in whole milk dairy products and fatty red meat) can raise cholesterol levels, which leads to heart disease.  Omega-6 fats, as mentioned above, can have adverse effects on the overproduction of “bad” eicosanoids associated with chronic disease.  Monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, have no effect on insulin, cholesterol, or eicosanoids.  Some research suggests that they may even raise “good” (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL)) cholesterol levels.  As a result, populations that consume high levels of monounsaturated fat have very low levels of cardiovascular disease and improved longevity.

Excellent Quality Fats
According to Dr. Sears, the following are excellent quality fats.  The number in parentheses is the Zone fat quality.  The higher the number the better.

• (4.5) Macadamia nuts
• (3.6) Olive oil
• (3.5) Olives

Very Good Quality Fats
According to Dr. Sears, the following are very good quality fats.  The number in parentheses is the Zone fat quality.  The higher the number the better.

• (2.3) Avocado
• (2.2) Canola oil
• (2.2) Almond butter
• (2.0) Almonds

Good Quality Fats
According to Dr. Sears, the following are good quality fats.  The number in parentheses is the Zone fat quality.  The higher the number the better.

• (1.6) Cashews
• (1.1) Peanuts

Poor-Quality Fats
According to Dr. Sears, the following are poor-quality fats:

• (0.9) Lard
• (0.4) Butter
• (0.2) Safflower oil
• (0.2) Soybean oil

You Can Choose How You Feel
According to Dr. Sears, you can choose to hold the reigns and control your hormones by choosing Zone meals:

Consume one Zone meal after another, and you will achieve consistent hormonal control for your lifetime.  Use low-quality foods on the other hand, and you will simply lose the reigns and allow your hormones to run wild.  The choice should be easy to make.

Key Take Aways
While I’m not surprised by the data, I do like the precision and clarity that the food ranking creates.  Here’s my key take aways:

• For high-quality carbs, think anti-oxidants.  High-quality carbohydrate sources have high anti-oxidative capacity, low glycemic impact, or high soluble fiber content.
• For high-quality protein, think low fat.   This is probably the first time I’ve actually seen a crisp breakdown of why to choose low-fat over high-fat protein.  Choosing proteins that have twice as much protein as fat has the compound effect of lowering your intake of saturated fat, cutting your intake of Omega-6  fatty acids, decrease your cholesterol levels, and  make the insulin receptors in your cells more responsive to insulin so that your body needs to make less of this hormone.  Impressive.
• For high-quality fat, think monounsaturated.   Saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels.  Monounsaturated fats have no effect on insulin, cholesterol, or eicosanoids, and potentially raise “good” cholesterol levels.   
• Choose your foods based on quality.  I really like knowing the caliber and impact of my food choices.  I only had a vague idea of food quality based on simple rules like choosing fibrous carbs over starchy carbs, and choose deeper, darker colored vegetables over lighter ones.

My Related Posts

• The Top 100 Zone Foods